Hot Stuff in Antarctica

Back to Antarctica--with animals

2009-12-01T02:23:00.000-08:00

I came back to McMurdo Station, Antarctica in October, 2009 for a second 4-month season. I finally got what everyone comes here for--to see animals out on the sea ice.
To go out on the sea ice, a person has to go on a special excursion outside the station. About 20 of us piled into the back of an old Navy vehicle called a Delta. It has hard bench seats, the windows get completely steamed over, and it's a very bumpy and bouncy 2-hour ride. It got stuck in the snow a lot, but one time it really paid off.
While we were digging out, at the horizon there appeared 4 black dots moving toward us. Could it be penguins? Yes it was! The rule is that we are not allowed to approach the animals. But we can let them come to us. So we got down on our knees and waited.
Unlike in the cartoons, emperor penguins don't waddle. With their feet, they push themselves on their bellies along on the ice. They move across the ice like the water birds that they are!

When they got to us, they stood up and looked around, probably wondering where we keep our fish to eat. Then they flopped back onto their bellies and pushed off.
Everything in this picture except for the penguins is ice--probably more than 20 ft thick.

We also saw seals. Seals come up through holes in the ice. Then they just lie on the ice, looking like garden slugs. The adults barely move, and the babies move just a bit more than that.

Isn't this baby just the cutest!

Penguins!

2009-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

They say that the penguins arrive in McMurdo after the icebreaker comes. The icebreaker arrived Sunday. The penguin was here Monday. It's a little adelie penguin. I (Carol) watched it for about an hour and a half. First it was asleep in a ball like a little black cat. Then it stood up, and stretched one wing. Later it raised both wings. Later yet it crowed like a crow. Still later it took a few steps, got into the water for a short swim, got out, and stood some more.

How Cold Is It?

2009-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

How cold is it in Antarctica? Right now--January--it's summer. The temps get up to the high 30s F just about every day. And with the sun up all the time, it's usually quite nice. Here's Pat fixing some field camp gear. Almost looks like a palm tree, doesn't it?

Below is Matt, my dorm's janitory, standing outside the dorm. You can see the dusty soil that we have at McMurdo station, with the sea ice and mountains in the background. Notice Matt's combination of shorts and parka. Somehow, the combination is perfect here, though I'll admit that Matt's legs are tougher than mine and I haven't gotten my shorts out yet. The fellow below got out his Hawaiian shirt for a New Year's music festival.

These, too, are music festival folks. Notice the shorts and flip-flops.

These are guys I work with--Tom, the plumbing foreman and Don, a boiler mechanic. Notice the hill in the background--no snow--and the glorious blue sky.

Christmas in Antarctica

2008-12-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

In Antarctica Christmas comes a day earlier than in the US. Here is a group of carolers in the lower left corner. In the background is the frozen sea ice.

Penguins are the favorite animal here, of course, and these are in the dining room.

Like at home, eating was a major theme of the day. Here we are at Christmas brunch. Stockings in the background. There is a tree, but it didn't make it into the picture.

This is a display of gingerbread houses. Below is a spread of exotic cheese and other delicacies.

Here is our "family group" for the Christmas feast. These are all new and wonderful friends. We had prime rib, roast duck, crab legs, shrimp, all the usual trimmings, and too many kinds of dessert to count.

Ice Dive

2008-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

We have become acquainted with an under-ice dive team. The hut on the left contains the hole where the divers descend. The hut on the right is where the self-propelled camera goes down. It's steered by a person inside the hut.

This is the hole that the divers use. Looks chilly, doesn't it. The ice here is 20 feet thick. The water below is 28 degrees F.

These divers are Stacy, who heads the team, and Francois.

Stacy puts on her flippers. Her suit is a "dry suit." Under it are two layers of long underwear.

They get ready to descend.

Stacy jumps in.

This is the picture the camera gives us of what the divers see. The square is the wire frame in front of the camera that protects it when it bumps the bottom of the ocean. The divers like this water because it is very clear--no algae.

The camera is steered by a person above the ice. I got to drive it! What the camera sees is projected onto a screen in the hut.

The camera is looking up the dive hole.

The dive tenders were very surprised to see something--the camera--come UP the hole!

Stunning Ice Formations

2008-12-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

This week I got to take a special trip to the New Zealand base not far from here to see the ice formations made of ocean ice, called Pressure Ridge. They are caused by sheets of ice pushing against each other, and the ice getting pushed up as a result.
The formations are quite big as you can see with people beside them.

Everyone's favorite was this one, which looks like frog smiling.

Some of the formations were blocks.

Some of the more recently-formed ones are a gorgeous color of blue.

This is the sun shining through ice.

And more sun shining through.

This is a row of small pointed formations.

A split.

The whole thing reminded me of a white, sparkly, shiny version of the rock formations in Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Life Under Ice

2008-11-29T12:20:00.001-08:00

There is a scientific diving team here that has developed a special camera for exploring under the ice where no one has been able to look before. My significant other Patrick has been working with them.

This is permanent ice about 300' thick. The team located a fissure, or crack, so that they had to drill through only 6' of ice to get to water.

They drilled a 10" diameter hole, and lowered this camera, called SCINI (skinny) because it's long and thin to fit through an ice hole. SCINI also stands for Submersible Capable of Imaging and Navigating Under Ice. They can guide SCINI from above the ice and see what it is seeing. It also takes photos.

They found a remarkable abundance of life: anemones, sea sponges, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and luminescent jelly fish. They were surprised to find fresh water immediately under the ice--caused by glacial melt. Glaciers are frozen fresh water, and these are on top of sea water.

Patrick designed and made a cradle that holds SCINI when it's on the ice.

This is some of delicate ice they found.

Hopefully we'll get pictures of the under-ice life they found.

Scavenging in Antarctica

2008-11-21T21:15:00.001-08:00

Recycling and scavenging are part of the culture in Antarctica. Everything that is brought to McMurdo must eventually be shipped back to the US. This includes all of the trash and waste. There is even a department called Waste, and the people who work there proudly call themselves "wasties." This is the view of the mountains over the frozen ocean from the Waste Dept. There they go through every candy wrapper and soda can.

At the same time, scavenging is a very respectable part of the culture here. This is the skua bird.

This skua bird hangs around the door from the dining room, waiting for folks to come out with a plate of food or a sandwich. It's like a good-sized duck. I met my first skua as it was flying toward my face. It was interested in what might be in my hands. Since the skua is a scavenger, scavenging here is called "Skua."

Notice that the skua is about the same color as the background. The ground here is volcanic soil. Most of the ice "in town" here has melted, and this dark gravel is what's left. Not pretty like the ice and snow of a month ago. Temperatures now range from a high of about 25F down to about 10F. Even though the sun is up all the time, the "night" hours cool off. Often there's water trickling along the ground during the day, and it freezes into ice patches overnight.

Every building has a wall of recycling bins. Anything useable such as clothing goes into the Skua bin. It's quite acceptable to go through the skua bin to see if there's anything you like and take it with you.

The skua bins are combined at a building called Skua Central. It's like a free Goodwill store. Go in anytime, take what you like, tidy the place up a bit (there's no attendant), and give it back if and when you're done with it.

Finding parts here is also a scavenging adventure. Even though there are a number of pretty well organized warehouses, there many drawers of odds and ends. Want a nut and bolt? Start digging. This makes me appreciate the local hardware store at home, where I can just walk in for what I want.
This picture is the shop that I work out of. This is where I start looking. I've found that things rather magically appear if I give them time. I had a particular kind of fastener in mind and couldn't find it. A couple days later I ran across a small length of chain, like would be on a backyard swing set. A piece of one of those links worked perfectly. This week we needed a set screw for a piece of commercial cooking equipment. The heavy equipment shop (buldozers and cranes) had what I needed. (They also have an excellent popcorn machine and are willing to share, though I hear the one in the carpenter's shop is even better!)

Artarctica Inside

2008-11-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

One of my friends said, "National Geographic has shown us what Antarctica looks like outside. Show us what it looks like inside!" This is Pat's and my tiny 8 x 13' dorm room. To get some space, we took the doors off the wardrobes, laid them on their sides, put the doors over them to make a platform, and put the mattresses over that. Storage underneath.

Over 1000 people eat in the dining room each meal. The food is great, always available, and it's free, of course. This picture happens to show all men, but about 1/3 of the population is women.

There are three bars, in three small separate buildings. This one is known as the coffee house. It serves espresso, wine, and liquors. It's my favorite of the 3 because it's quietish. But Sat night is lively.

The central computer room is always busy. We have great email and internet connections. Phone is a local call to Denver, and all other LD calls are billed as if they originate in Denver.

This is the lecture hall in the Crary Science Center. This is where all the research is headquartered. Every Sunday and Wed eves there is a presentation by one of the scientists--ranging from what penguins do to what's happening to the garbage that in past years was deposited in the ocean here. I saw slides of the creatures that live under 20 feet of ice--surprisingly beautiful and colorful a lot like the tropics.

Ice Caves & Boots

2008-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

Partner Pat and I had an opportunity this week to go inside an ice cave inside a glacer. Wow, was it ever beautiful. Instead of the usual gray limestone of caves I'm used to, this one is all sparkly white. We slid inside on our butts, and then could stand. Perfectly quiet in there except for some crackles of the ice.

It had a cathedral-like feeling.

Some of the formations were swirls.

The ice cave was about a 45-minute slow drive in a special vehicle made to take 18 people over the sea ice. The tires are huge and the ride is bouncy. Hard to see out because the windows get all frosted over.

Whever we leave "town" on an excursion like the ice caves or camping, we wear the boots extreme cold weather gear we were issued. Huge white "bunny boots" are part of that. They're even bigger than my steel toed super insulated work boots, which weigh 5 pounds as a pair, but not as heavy. I used to think that my Colorado hiking boots (far right) were heavy. But when I wear them on Sunday now, they feel like feathers. I can do my aerobic step workout (100 steps up and down) on each leg now wearing the work boots!

Happy Camper (or not)

2008-11-01T17:37:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a camping trip in Antarctica. That's right--20 of us were "out there" for 24 hours, including overnight, in just tents and snow shelters that we built. You bet it was cold--somewhere below zero.

This isn't something I would ever choose to do. It was a job requirement for anyone whose job might take them "out of town." Yikes. Fortunately, I had only 24 hours notice that I was going, so there wasn't much time to get (ahem) cold feet. Actually, my feet did get quite cold eventually.

We had to pitch tents in the wind (not easy), dig up blocks of snow to build a wind wall, and melt snow into drinking water.
Some guys dug snow caves to sleep in. There were 18 men and 2 women. I slept in a little nylon tent just like we use for summer camping at home, a couple of foam pads, and a very good sleeping bag. It was very strange to have the sun fully up in the sky at 3 a.m. Having to "get up in the night" as a colosal pain, especially for us women.

Here is what the view was like all around the campsite. Wide open distant spaces! No civilization anywhere. The black flags mean danger--a cravass or something. Yikes again.

2008-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are Pat and me at McMurdo. Everyone here wears these red parkas. They make this weather (from +10 degrees F to -10F) seem quite ordinary. And after all, it is summer here.

Notice the building in the background on the left. All of the buildings here are elevated so that the snow can blow under rather than drifting. Not much snow falls here. In fact, it's one of the driest places on the planet. But the small amount of snow blows around a lot, and the wind can be (but isn't always) ferocious. Starting this week, the sun will be up around the clock until February.

2008-10-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

We came to Antarctica from New Zealand on an Air Force C17 cargo jet. In many ways it was more comfortable than a commercial airline--more room. Did need to wear earplugs, though.

The flight was 5 hours, and I got to do it three times just to get here. There's a term called "boomerang." That means you get in the plane, fly for several hours, and then turn around and go back to new Zealand because the weather was too bad to land in Antarctica. I had a 5 hour boomerang, and a few days later a 10 hour one. On that one, we got all the way here and had to turn back. All together I spent 11 days on paid vacation in Christchurch, NZ between these trips. It was a very nice all expenses paid vacation, and I got a paycheck too. Life's surprises!

2008-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of "my" furnaces. We do preventive maintenance on each of these monthly, quarterly, and an annual teardown. No wonder they run so well.

2008-10-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

The last sunrise and sunset until February happened this week. Now the sun is up all the time here. Sleeping is easy though. The dorm room has a very good black out curtain, so we go instantantly from day to night.

It also helps sleeping that my job is very physical. The only way to get around is walking. My boots are huge insulated steel-toed things. The surfaces are snow-covered, sprinkled with cinders for traction. Just walking is a lot of work. The cold is a drain, too.

2008-10-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is the door to the outside from the Crary Science Center. This building is what this place is officially about. Right now there are about 10 groups of scientists working with the National Science Foundation here. The rest of us are support for all of that. All together, there will be about 1200 people here by January--the height of summer. In this building is an aquarium where there are fish that live in the ocean here. The fish have a version of glycol to keep them from freezing.

2008-10-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is me "making the rounds." Every day I tromp over snow drifts to 10 buildings to make sure the furnaces are running and that there isn't a fuel leak. The fuel here is jet fuel, but other than that and the constant monitoring, the furnaces and controls are quite ordinary.

In the background is the medical center. It's a typical building, built decades ago of corrugated metal. The doors are freezer-type. They open inward so the wind doesn't catch them.

I'm wearing "big red." Everyone is issued one of these parkas, along with lots of other cold weather clothes. Big red is very heavy, but perfect for the climate. No wind gets through! And the hood is big enough to shelter even the face.

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

2008-10-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here it is--the view from where I live right now looking out over the frozen ocean. This is McMurdo Station, Antarctica. It's summer here, and it's October. The temperatures range about 10 degrees either side of zero F. It feels like Minnesota in the winter--a crisp solid cold. It's quite comfortable except when the wind blows hard.

2008-08-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Pat and I are leaving in early October to work for 4-1/2 months at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. It took 2 years to get these jobs. For Pat it's a second time, and here are pictures he took when he was an engineer there in 1991-1992. Above are icesicles formed around a rock in the ocean.
Above is landing on the ice at McMurdo. We'll be there for the Antarctic summer. So much of the ice will melt. Temperatures in January will be similar to those in Denver. But the sun will never set for four months.
This is Pat in front of the Russian research ship that was his ride home when he was there before. The red parka is part of the standard issue cold weather clothing.Photos above and below are McMurdo. I may be working in any of the forty buildings. Pat and I expect to live an a dorm called Hotel California. I requested an ocean view--guess I think I'm going to Club Med. In the photo below the brown building at the lower left is the hut of Scott, the famous explorer of the early 1900s.
This is it for now. More photos to come.

Getting ready

2008-06-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Antarctica is a lot of work.

First I needed to sell the house I'd bought when the kids were going to school at CU Boulder. Everybody graduated! The house is scheduled to close in a couple weeks. It was an incredible amount of work getting it perfectly cleaned and fixed up, but we did it.

Passing the medical qualifications seemed like an endless process. The interesting part was the treadmill stress test. Even though I was seeing spots by the end from lack of oxygen, the doc said I did better than most 30-year olds. Hooray! All those years at the YMCA paid off.

I hate to shop, but this week I made a trip to REI to get travel clothes. Cold weather and work clothes for Antarctica are provided, but I wanted to get some nice long underwear. Oooh--didn't know they come in black.

Pat and I are raising a service dog puppy, Ellie. When we got her we didn't have the Antarctica job offers, and were supposed to keep her for 1-1/2 years. Now we'll be giving her up in late September just before we leave for "the ice."